Chinese Government to Close 1,200 Companies to Help Clear Beijing Smog

Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and as China follows its desires to become a leader in clean, renewable energies, it must also look to clean up the air quality of its capital city.

Many complain about the heavy smog often found within the city. Smog so thick that sometimes planes can be grounded and trains going to and from the city be delayed due to poor visibility. Obviously the local residents also complain of health concerns, with many being forced to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of the dirty air.

Zheng Zaihong of the city's municipal environmental protection bureau said that 22 percent of the fine particulate emissions within the city originated from around 1200 local industrial fabicas such as, foundries, chemical plants and furniture factories.

In an effort to eliminate these highly polluting industries, and reduce the overall carbon emissions in the city, environmental protection approval and inspecting systems are planned to be introduced to reduce the fine particles.

The city also implemented the PM2.5 air quality standard in January, which allows for the monitoring of fine particles of 2.5 micrometers or more in diameter. These fine particles have been under monitoring by the U.S. embassy since last year, and often led to the city's air being ranked as ‘very unhealthy’ or ’hazardous.’